First impression: Hotel Havana’s bar

The first thing you notice in Hotel Havana’s basement bar (the same one locals so affectionately remember as Cohiba) is the lighting. It’s dimmer, if you can imagine that. The big joke during last night’s opening was that you could easily fall in love there. And the logical follow-up jab was the possible confusion as to the gender of your new squeeze.

I met a couple of friends who work across the street. We agreed that the drinks are pricey. Five bucks for a Negra Modelo, Corona or Tecate. Cohiba wasn’t exactly Bar America-priced, but it wasn’t that pricey. I remember Negra Modelos being $4. To be fair, bottles of Budweiser and Budlight are $4 (still out there). No Dos Equis, however I imagine they will change that, and which seems strange considering the purpose of the bar’s changes seem to be to attract cool-ass, scruffy world travelers like the World’s Most Interesting Man.

The featured item (at the very top of the menu) is mezcal for sipping which ranges $5-$7. Specialty drinks are $8-$9. The specialty drinks seem aptly priced. You’re going to pay in that range at downtown’s best cocktail bars: SoHo Wine & Martini Bar or Bohanan’s. The Margarita Mezcal had a strong sweetness, and I could imagine prying myself away from my beer diet, at least for one night. The michelada was excellent, tasting like a Bloody Mary with the lime cranked up — although they serve them in tall, thin glasses rather than schooners. It’s a full bar with rums, scotches, vodkas, tequilas, gins and bourbons. The menu has a strong chocolate component, which I hear is so good it educes orgasm, but it’s not my thing… the chocolate.

There’s no smoking, which is a strike in my book, but you’ve already made up your mind on this one.

The walls are blue. In the Express-News article, owner Liz Lambert asserts that you can’t tell the color, the lighting’s so dim, but you can. The mirrors are back, but not as many, like one or two per seating cluster. They kept the bar itself and the back bar looks almost identical to Cohiba’s. They butchered the small nook of a room next to the bar, where dates would cuddle or friends converse. It was prime real estate, but if you snagged it, you were set for the whole night. There’s more elbow room in the area next to the elevator, but I prefer Cohiba’s version.

The media came out in full force last night. If you wrote about Hotel Havana’s rebirth, you were obligated to go. Elaine Wolff, editor of The Current, was Tweeting. As was I. Express-News real estate reporter Jason Buch was hanging out with other reporters. It looked good to see newspaper people in a bar. We don’t do that as much anymore. Who else… A lot of men in business casual, obviously bound by suit earlier in the day, but who lost the tie and rolled up the sleeves as soon as the clock ticked five. In one corner, the hotel’s PR contact Lisa Maria Gomez was chatting with the Downtown Alliance’s Andi Rodriguez and a hottie who I met but whose name I can’t remember.

Bar staff wore black guayaberas with mechanics’ name patches, which could be interpreted as Austin-cheesy, but I thought it was a nice touch.

Around 7 p.m., they ran out of mojitos. I took this bar no-no as the new Austin management not realizing locals’ love for Cohiba, and that — out of curiosity and with equal parts skepticism and optimism — would show on opening night.

If you never drank at Cohiba, you’d probably think the new version is a really cool place. It has a style I anticipated loathing, but actually digged. It’s really, really difficult to not compare the two if you frequented the place before. Make note that I’ll be starting bar reviews after Fiesta. By the time I get to Havana Hotel’s bar, it should have found its personality and groove. For now, I give it a thumbs up. But, damn, do I miss Cohiba.

Benjamin Olivo

5 Responses

We popped down yesterday after an early dinner at Cool Cafe. My first impression? Hard to say. It was so dark, we were literally tripping over furniture. Once my eyes got accustomed, it was still too dark, but I can say I like what they did with the place — didn’t change it much from our much-loved Cohiba. But they’re going to have to do something about the lighting situation.